Subculture Theory Through Music Media Essay

Subculture Theory Through Music Media Essay The leading society did not tranquilly sit on the sidelines all through the period and observe the subcultures at play. What started as a response of puzzled bewilderment-caught in the pat phrase, the generation gap-turned out to be, over the years, a strong and intensified struggle. In the 1950s, youth came to represent the most advanced point of social change: youth was employed as a symbol for social change. The most tremendous trends in an altering society were identified by the societys taking its bearings from what youth was up to: youth was the front line party-of the classless, post-protestant, consumer society to come. This displacement of the tensions aggravated by social change on to youth was an uncertain maneuver. Social change was observed as normally helpful (youve not at all had it so good); however as well as eroding the conventional landmarks and undermining the sacred order and institutions of conventional society. It was consequently, from the first, escorted by f eelings of diffused as well as dispersed social anxiety. The limits of society were being redefined, its ethical contours redrawn, its basic relations (in particular, those class relations which for so long gave a hierarchical constancy to English life) transformed. As has been frequently remarked, movements which distress a societys normative contours mark the beginning of troubling times-particularly for those sections of the population who have made an irresistible promise to the continuance of the status quo. Troubling times, when social anxiety is extensive however fails to discover an organized public or political expression, cause the displacement of social anxiety on to convenient scapegoat groups. This is the source of the moral panic-a twisting in which the social groups who distinguish their world and position as threatened, recognize a responsible enemy, and come out as the vocal guardians of conventional values: moral entrepreneurs. It is not astonishing, then, that you th turned out to be the focus of this social anxiety-its displaced object. In the 1950s, and again in the early 1960s, the most noticeable and identifiable youth groups were involved in theatrical events which activated moral panics, focusing, in displaced form, societys quarrel with itself. Events associated with the rise of the Teds, and afterward, the motor-bike boys and the Mods, precipitated typical moral panics. Each event was observed as signifying, in microcosm, a wider or deeper social problem-the problem of youth all together. In this crisis of power, youth now played the part of symptom plus scapegoat. Moral panics of this order were mainly focused to start with, around Working-class youth. The firmly organized sub-cultures-Teds, Mods, etc.-represented merely the most noticeable targets of this reaction. Alongside these, we have to recall the way youth became linked, in the 1958 Notting Hill riots, with that further submerged and displaced topic of social anxiety-race; and the general anxiety regarding rising delinquency, the rising rate of juvenile involvement in crime, the panics concerning violence in the schools, destruction, gang fights, and football hooliganism. Reaction to these and further signs of youth took various forms: from modifications to the Youth Service and the extension of the social work agencies, through the protracted debate regarding the decline in the influence of the family, the clampdowns on absence and indiscipline in the schools, to the Judges remarks, in the Mods vs. Rockers trial, that they were nothing superior than Sawdust Caesars. The waves of moral panic arrived at new heights with the appearance of the territorial-based Skinheads, the football uprisings and destruction of railway property. To this was added, a set of moral panics of a new sort in which particular genres of popular music have sparked controversy and opposition, both upon their appearance and intermittently since: rock n roll in the mid-1950s, psychedelic rock in the late 1960s, disco and punk in the 1970s, heavy metal and rap in the 1980s, to name merely the better known instances. Criticism has centered variously on the power of such genres on youthful values, attitudes as well as behavior through the musics (apparent) sexuality and sexism, nihilism and violence, black magic, obscenity, plus anti-Christian nature. The political edge of popular music has been partially the outcome of this antagonistic reaction frequently accorded to the music and its connected causes and followers, helping to politicize the musicians and their fans. Whereas such episodes are a standard part of the history of rock music, hardly ever are their nature and cultural importance more completely teased out. Besides on-going debates over the consequences and influence of rock, there have forever been attempts to harness the music to social plus political ends, and arguments around the validity of ideas of rock as an empowering and political force. To place such opposition to rock music in framework, it is significant to admit that popular culture on the whole has historically been the target of fault, denunciation and regulation. In the 1930s, in accordance with the Payne studies in the United States and similar studies elsewhere, the cinema was having harmful effects on childrens health, attitudes to authority and hold on realism; in the 1950s, psychologist Frederic Werthams powerful best-seller, Seduction of the Innocent, quarreled for a direct causal association between comic books and juvenile delinquency; whereas since the 1960s television (and video) has turned into the favored whipping medium, accused of warping imaginations, heartening violence, and turning us all into couch pota toes (Gilbert, 1986; Shuker and Openshaw, 1991). It is value adding that music hall, jazz, and further innovative forms of popular music were as well all stigmatized in their day. Concern over new media along with the activities of their youthful consumers appears to periodically reach a peak, often linked with boundary crises, periods of vagueness and strain in society, which show the way to attempts to more obviously set up moral boundaries. In numerous instances, such boundary crises are forms of moral panic, an idea popularized by sociologist Stanley Cohens now classic study of mods and rockers in the United Kingdom. In Folk Devils and Moral Panics, Cohen utters that a period of moral panic takes place when: A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible. Sometimes the object of the panic is quite novel and at other times it is something which has been in existence long enough, but suddenly appears in the limelight. Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten, except in folk lore and collective memory; at other times it has more serious and long-lasting repercussions and might produce such changes as those in legal and social policy or even in the way the society conceives itself. (Cohen, 1980:9) The subsequent stage of Cohens view of moral panic is mainly important, concerning as it does the denial of the common sense view that the media just report what happens. Cohens own case study of the 1960s conflicts between mods and rockers in the UK (the folk devils of his title), demonstrated just such a procedure of the selection and presentation of news. The media reporting of the clashes simplified their causes, labeled and stigmatized the youth implicated, whipped up public feeling, and encouraged a retributive, restriction approach by those in authority. Investigativing the historical association between youth, antisocial approaches and behaviors, and popular music means, again, to believe culture as a political issue. At a deeper level moral panics around new media are incidents in cultural politics and the repeated reconstitution and contestation of cultural domination. Fundamental debates over popular comics, fiction, television, film, video and rock are a sequence of assumptions regarding popular or mass culture, which is often observed as completely opposed to a high culture custom. As this dichotomy is an uncertain foundation for assessing particular forms of culture, and such a difference is more and more difficult to continue in practice. The whole idea of a high-low culture distinction has to be regarded as a social construct, resting on class-based value judgments (Taylor, 1978). It is more suitable to inspect particular cultural forms in terms of both their formal qualities plus their social function for consumers, whilst keeping in mind the most important point that any assessment have to be primarily in terms pertinent to the group that produces and appreciates it. This is mainly the case with popular music (Shepherd, 1977). Both the music industry as well as the social context of the early 1950s was prepared for rock n roll. With fuller employment, general economic affluence, and their appearance as an imperative consumer group, teenagers started to demand their own music and clothes, and to build up a generational-based identity. Before 1956, popular music was subjugated by American sounds, typified by the recurrent image of the crooner. The music was mostly safe, solid stuff, what Cohn terms the palais age-the golden era of the big bands, when everything was soft, warm, sentimental, when everything was make believe (Cohn, 1970:11). There was little here for young people to recognize with, despite the fact that riot-provoking performers like Johnny Ray symbolized prototypes for rock. Even though rock music started with rock n roll in the mid-1950s, as Tosches (1984) documents it had been developing well prior to this, and was barely the only formation of Elvis Presley and Alan Freed. The expression rock n roll itself was popularized with its sexual connotations in the music of the 1920s. In 1922, blues singer Trixie Smith recorded My Daddy Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll) for Black Swan Records, and a variety of lyrical elaborations pursued from other artists through the 1930s and 1940s (Tosches, 1984:5-6). Rock n roll was fundamentally a mixture of two traditions: Negro rhythm and blues and white romantic crooning, colored beat and white sentiment (Cohn, 1970:11). Negro rhythm as well as blues was good-time music, danceable and unassuming. While extremely popular on rhythm and blues charts and radio stations, it achieved little airplay on white radio stations, and was often banned due to the explicit sexual content of songs for instance Hank Ballards Work With Me Annie, Billy Wards Sixty Minute Man, and the Penguins Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Cohn, 1970:15). It is this connection between sex and rock n roll-the Devils music-which underpinned the ethical reaction to its popularization in the 1950s. In April 1954, Bill Haley made Rock Around the Clock. The record was a hit in America, then universal; ultimately selling fifteen million copies. Whilst it did not start rock, it did symbolize a critical symbol in the popularization of the new musical form. Rock Around the Clock was marked in the MGM movie Blackboard Jungle, the story of a young teacher at a tough New York school. The triumph of the film with teenage audiences, and the fame of Haleys song, caused Haley being signed to make a film of his own. Rock Around the Clock (1956) told how Bill Haley plus his band popularized rock n roll; however the thin story line (explained by Charles White as brain damage on celluloid!) was actually a platform for the rock acts on the soundtrack. The film showed extremely popular. Riots ensued at several screenings, as teenagers danced in the aisles and ripped up the seats, and a few countries banned the film. Haley was an unlikely hero for youth to imitate since his image (old, hairless, a nd chubby) barely matched the music, however others were waiting in the wings. In this brief summary, complex developments have to be reduced to their key moments. The triumph of Haley was one, the appearance of Chuck Berry and Little Richard another. Elvis Presleys Heartbreak Hotel (1956) was the major so far: His big contribution was that he brought it home just how economically powerful teenagers could really be. Before Elvis, rock had been a feature of vague rebellion. Once hed happened, it immediately became solid, self-contained, and then it spawned its own style in clothes and language and sex, a total independence in almost everything-all the things that are now taken for granted. (Cohn, 1970:23) Cohn is excessively enthusiastic regarding teenagers independence, however by the end of 1957 Elvis had grown into an annual twenty million dollars industry, and the procedure of homogenization of both the King and the music had started. The new music aggravated substantial criticism, with several older musicians disdainful of rock n roll. British jazzman Steve Race, writing in Melody Maker, asserted: Viewed as a social phenomenon, the current craze for rock n roll material is one of the most terrifying things ever to have happened to popular musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Musically speaking, of course, the whole thing is laughableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It is a monstrous threat, both to the moral acceptance and the artistic emancipation of jazz. Let us oppose it to the end (Rogers, 1982:18). O=Old-fashioned band leader Mitch Miller criticized rock n roll as musical baby food, it is the worship of mediocrity, brought about by a passion for conformity (Gilbert, 1986:16). Other criticisms centered on the ethical threat, somewhat than the new teenage musics perceived aesthetic boundaries. To many, rock n roll came into view hostile and aggressive, typified by Elvis Presleys sensual moves. Conservative commentators desired to save the you th of America from the screaming, idiotic words, and savage music of these records (Story of Pop, 1974:17). The cultural implication of the moral panic over rap can be measured alongside the earlier arguments over rock n roll, gothic suicides, as well as obscenity in rock. There are significant distinctions and stresses to be drawn when unfolding rock n roll and the bodgies, the Dead Kennedys, the gothic cultists and rappers for example Ice-T in such terms. Not all folk devils are of completely hypothetical stature and not all can be honored the status of true moral panics. The bodgies appeared to be defined as a danger to established social values as well as interests in the late 1950s. They stood out partially as an outcome of the visibility of their cultural style in mostly conformist society, a style which reflected their low socio-economic position in a period of prosperity and the purposeful adoption of an anti social stance. In Cohens terms, the label bodgie obtained representative power through its media usage, being recognized as a local folk devil. Consequently, this symbol and its connected images of delinquent behavior were consolidated in the public stadium into a collective theme: the bodgie was exaggerated by press coverage so the scale of the phenomenon turned out to be conceived as extensive, and the public sensitized so that various incidents were associated with the initial incidents (which caused the perceived ethical threat). At this point, the control culture took a greater role, with police, Parliament, and judiciary all responding to curb and contain the threat. In the case of the bodgie, even the army became informally involved to neutralize a subculture that was regarded by some as fair game. In all this, as with other folk devils, the media transmitted a stereotype of the bodgie, giving the deviant group the appearance of a greater uniformity and magnitude than they actually possessed . The association between this treatment of a youth subculture and value laden conceptions of high-low culture was obviously obvious in the extensive condemnation of the bodgies preferred music, rock n roll, on both aesthetic and moral grounds. There was no conversation of why the rock n roll of Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley appealed to the bodgies, specifically, the social functions the music performed in the subculture. As Willis observes of the British scene: It is difficult to evidence, but the motor-bike boys fundamental ontological security, style, gesture, speech, rough horseplay-their whole social ambience-seemed to owe something to the confidence and muscular style of early rock n roll (Willis, 1978:35). Informal interviews with former bodgies propose similar relations between musical styles and group values and identity, whereas twelve of Mannings fifteen bodgies owned motorbikes! If the bodgies and rock n roll carefully fit the traditional pattern of moral panics, the case of the Gothic cultists is much less clear-cut. Once more, the media at first fastened on and sensationalized a youth subculture, presenting the gothic cultists in a stylized and stereotyped way. Though the suicides which sparked off the flurry of press comment symbolized a definite human tragedy for those concerned, press coverage tended to too-easily make a causal connection between the suicides and the subculture and its music. This labeling process fits Cohens use of symbolization, however the process did not obtain the status of a collective theme. It soon became obvious that adolescent suicide was a multifaceted issue, and surely not an act which a style of music alone could be held accountable for. The scale of the incidents was as well a factor: three gothic suicides close together, with suggestions of death pacts, were clearly newsworthy. Once it became obvious though, that these we re an isolated episode, and the intricacies of suicide among adolescents started to be aired, the press rapidly lost interest. Further, the gothic subculture, (even supposinf it had such a collective standing) did not fit the folk devils image apparent in other moral panics over youth. However clearly not socially condoned, suicide constitutes a crime against the self somewhat than a threat to society in any criminal sense. Nor was the subculture linked with delinquent behavior; being seen quite in terms of a particular style of hair, clothing and makeup-weird, surely, but no more so than further historical and modern youth subcultural styles. Lastly, the reaction to the Gothic suicides barely represented a crisis of domination, requiring a reassertion of Cohens control culture. If the gothics were not folk devils, and scarcely comprised a full-blown moral panic, as a minimum their music fitted the conventional negative reaction accorded popular culture, particularly its more fringe variants. As with the bodgies preference for rock n roll, there was almost no severe press discussion of the reasons for the Gothic preference for music that was often simplistically typified as macabre and depressing (Dominion; 25 September 1988). It was as well too willingly assumed that the lyric content of songs was significant, ignoring the long debate on this point amongst consumers and critics of rock music. Similar points can be made in the case of the Dead Kennedys and rap, with both achieving the status of modern folk devils. The rap music of Ice-T and NWA, as well as the punk thrash of the Dead Kennedys were observed as obscene and politically intimidating to the status quo by its conservative critics. Raps position was complicated by being associated by many on the le ft with sexism and homophobia. So far, as Gilmore observes: While it is true that there are rap performers who deserve to be criticized for their misogyny and homophobia, it is also true that by and large rap addresses questions about race, community, self determination, drug abuse and the tragedy of violence in intelligent and probing ways and it does so with a degree of musical invention that no other form can match (Gilmore, 1990:13). One can as well point to a racist aspect in the attacks on rap. In the case of 2 Live Crew, for example, numerous commentators asked why a black group must be singled out for an obscenity prosecution in a state (Florida) where strip shows, pornographic videos and magazines are readily accessible. As with gothic music, the rap and thrash genres were observed in minority cult terms by their critics, and their song lyrics were eminent to a central position in the music. This was mainly obvious in press coverage of the Ice-T controversy. These case studies have demonstrated the interrelationships between youth subcultures, rock music, as well as moral panics mostly generated by the conservative right and fuelled-and at times constructed-by the media. The controversies surrounding rock and censorship have to be regarded as key battles in the ongoing struggle between the advocates of censorship and those of free speech. Though, assessment of the bodgies and rock n roll, gothic suicides, the Dead Kennedys and rap obscenity trials proposes that while the notion of moral panic is important in explaining such episodes, we should attend to variations and differences in their development. What needs to be elucidated is not merely the social causes and nature of particular moral panics, however why the society reacts to them, in the extreme way it does, at that specific historical conjunction. In their study Policing the Crisis, Hall et al. examine the discovery of mugging as a serious crime in the UK during 1972-1973. They c onclude that this episode constituted a moral panic, a panic which fits in almost every detail the process described by Cohen (Hall et al., 1978:23). Hall et al. argue that a moral panic occurs within what Gramsci describes as a developing crisis of hegemony (Gramsci, 1971), arising out of a particular historical context where the leading class is endeavoring to win power and consent through ideological means. Cohens stresses on the significance of labeling is still adhered to, as labels place and recognize the initial events so that these events are allocated to a context, to allow a mobilization of the meanings and connotations connected with that label. In Hall et als, explanation, the inspiration for labeling a particular phenomenon a moral panic is elucidated by the crisis of hegemony which is working within the society at that time. Relating this to moral panics around rock, is to locate them against the global appearance of a New Right, embracing free market politics and a moral cultural conservatism. As Grossberg observes of the US manifestation of this trend: The new conservatismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is, in a certain sense, a matter of public language, of what can be said, of the limits of the allowable. This has made culture into a crucial terrain on which struggles over power, and the politics of the nation, are waged (Grossberg, 1992:162). As he concludes, this great effort involves a new type of regulation: a variety of attacks become tokens of a broader attack, not so much on the freedom of expression as on the freedom of distribution and circulationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (ibid: 163). The debates about the outcomes of rock and the linked calls for censorship of the music are a sharp memento of the force of rock as emblematic politics, operating in the cultural arena. In associated fashion, and debatably even more powerfully representing its cultural power, is the use of rock to declare and support political views as well as causes.

Ethics and “A Few Good Men” Essay

The movie is about two marines indicted for the murder of a fellow marine in their platoon. Private First Class (PFC) William Santiago died because of lactic acidosis triggered by the assault inflicted by Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Lowden Downey. This assault was the result of a direct order by the platoon commander Lieutenant Kendrick. The order was to train Santiago to respect the Code of the Marines and the chain of command. Private Santiago had broken this chain and written directly to the NIS asking for a transfer, in exchange for offering information about an illegal fence-line shooting. When Colonel Nathan Jessep, commander of the marines stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, learned of this letter, he ordered the â€Å"training† of Private Santiago. In Guantanamo Bay, this â€Å"training† was referred to as â€Å"Code Red†, which was defined as the discipline of marines within the unit, by the unit, without involving the proper authorities – navy Jag Corp. When the navy learned of Private Santiago?s death, Dawson and Downey were placed under arrest, and moved to Washington DC to be court-martialed. After a thorough litigation by defense attorney, Lt. Danial Kaffee, the court found Colonel Jessep and Lt. Kendrik guilty of the murder of PFC Santiago because they ordered the ?Code Red?. Dawson and Downey were cleared of charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, but were found guilty of conduct unbecoming a marine, and were discharged from the Marine Corp. 6. Normative Ethical Question: Did Dawson and Downey do the right thing by following the order? Dawson and Downey’s actions were in strict accordance with the orders given to them by their platoon commander, and were thus justified. The Marines believe, â€Å"You follow orders or people die.† This was primarily applicable during wartime when questioning an order can cause the lives of the marine and his fellow soldiers. Although reserved for wartime, the marines in their day-to-day military life practice this belief. So when time comes for the marines to go to war, the thought of questioning an order never crosses their mind regardless of the severity of the order. Following  orders given by a superior officer is a part of the marine discipline, and breaking this discipline is not tolerated in armed forces. The order given to Dawson and Downey was to â€Å"train† PFC Santiago. Santiago’s aggravated heart condition was the primary reason of his death, and Dawson and Downey having followed their order were unfortunate to find Santiago dead in the ‘training’ process. Had Santiago been physically fit, he would have in all likelihood, survived the ‘training.’ However on the charge of becoming a united states marine they were found guilty as charged. The reasoning for this is as follows: Dawson and Downey should have ignored the â€Å"Code Red† ordered by Colonel Jessup, and should have reported him to the proper authorities at the navy Jag Corp. The â€Å"training† also known as the â€Å"Code Red† was known to have harmful consequences. There were two examples of the severity of the â€Å"Code Red† shown in the movie: The first example was that of Private Bell, a soldier, getting nothing but water for a period of one week to keep him alive. The second example involved a soldier been given a â€Å"Code Red† for dropping a gun during a training exercise. His punishment was to put glue on his hands, and have his arm punched for about twenty minutes. Evidently, a â€Å"Code Red† in military parlance meant punishment in its higher degree. PFC Santiago was known to be a weak person. Dawson and Downey ignoring the fact that PFC Santiago’s condition was deteriorating still followed Col. Jessup’s order for â€Å"Code Red† on Santiago. They should have been aware of the fact that â€Å"Code Red† would cause irreparable damage to PFC Santiago’s health; on humanitarian grounds, Dawson and Downey should have contacted the proper authorities at the navy Jag Corp for a fair assessment of the order. Looking at it from a different perspective, Dawson and Downey would have been morally right to have neglected the order given to them by their superior. However, they were bound to their duty; overriding their commanding officer’s orders would have placed their career at stake. This case involves an ethical dilemma for the following reasons: 1. A murder has been committed. It is not acceptable to take a human life merely because this individual doesn’t get along with the rest of the company. 2. The investigation of the murder is hindered. It is not acceptable to lie about the cause of death in an effort to preserve public relations or personal esteem. 3. Cadets and officers lie under oath in court. It is unacceptable to lie in court. The military has determined that it is essential this case be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. A sub-group in the military can’t make its own rules of military morality. PFC Santiago is treated as a means rather than being treated as an end. The murder was immoral in every sense and those causing the murder should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We further stipulate that it is unacceptable for a coverup of the murder. Colonel Nathan Jessup defends the practice of lying under an area of lying covered by Plato. Plato gave support for some lies when he said: â€Å"It is the business of the rulers of the city, if it is anybody’s, to tell lies, deceiving both its enemies and its own citizens for the benefit of the city; and no one else must touch this privilege.†(1) If using the Plato type justification for the coverup, Jessup and those around him have a deluded sense of their place in national security. Their actions are not for the preservation of military. Their actions and lies are for preservation of their own positions†¦ The responsibility of the commander to make sure his marines are prepared for any sort of danger from the enemy. Colonel Nathan Jessup claims that code  red as a method of training for soldiers was the American way. He defends the practice as that which is indispensable to defend the country. This reminds me of Plato?s conception of warriors where there is no place for the weak or sick people. The only difference between these two cases is that Plato would have not hesitated to propose euthanasia for such unproductive warriors. Colonel Jessup on the other hand proposed to train them by using force if necessary. . However, he uses intense form of punishment for the tiniest mistakes and flaws. So he cannot be justify such a punishment in the name of national security. But in today?s world such practices are detested and are against humanitarian grounds and any form of justification for their practice is barbaric. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) is a military officer who has covered up a murder. When he is in court on the witness stand, Nicholson, yells, â€Å"You want to know the truth? You want to know the truth? Well, you can’t handle the truth.† Nicholson’s testimony is that some military crimes must be covert for national security purposes. He implies that it is acceptable to murder one cadet who isn’t going along with the rest of the company. He states it is acceptable for him to lie about the incident under oath to protect the company involved as well as the military overall. Kant declares: â€Å"A lie is a lie†¦whether it be told with good or bad intent†¦But if a lie does no harm to anyone and no one’s interests are affected by it, is it a lie? Certainly.†(2) Kant believes truthfulness is a duty, an â€Å"unconditional duty which holds in all circumstances.†(3) According to the categorical imperative, if there is even one case in which it is acceptable to lie and honesty can be overridden, then the perfect† status of the duty not to lie is compromised. Kant is most strident in not allowing for even a seemingly innocent lie, which could save a life instead of causing harm. He merely asserts that if something terrible happens it is not your fault. The terrible act is something wholly unjustified in the first place.(4) Duty is often represented by Kant and his deontological views on lying. Kant tells us that it is never acceptable to lie, and places this on the level of  a moral law, or a â€Å"categorical imperative.† He contends that lies always harm others–the individual or society. â€Å"To be truthful (honest) in all declarations, therefore, is a sacred and absolutely commanding decree of reason, limited by no expediency.†(5) Utilitarian Jeremy Bentham also would not allow for the Jessup defense of the coverup. Bentham delivered a frothy lecture to England’s judges who were using their power and lying to the people. Bentham sees nothing more abhorrent than using lies and power to further one’s position†¦.(6) The justification for the behaviors is weak, with hundreds of years of morality, ethics, and laws written in opposition to Jessup’s rationale. In the particular case of PFC Santiago, Colonel jessup seems to be aggravated by his appeal to the NIS and his breach of confidentiality of his unit. This brings us to the another moral debate. Was Santiago right in his decision to give false information of an illegal fence line shooting? We can make two speculations here. Either Santiago lied about the fence line shooting in a desperate attempt to get noticed by the authorities which could get him transferred for the information or he was mistaken about the shooting. This is to say that he did not realized that the mirror had engaged to fire first and Dawsen just retaliated in defence. Santiago can easily be forgiven for the latter. However, in the former case, normatively he should not have done what he did. But that was the only practical thing he could do. Even though we can easily blame Santiago for lying, we should praise his attempt to break away from the blind acceptance of the principles which ruled the lives of other marines. Even though Santtiago was physically weaker than the rest of the Platoon he had the mental capacity to fight against the odds of the absurd life in which he was trying to survive. This reminds me of the mahabharatta where Lord Krishna taught the Pandavas that it is good to lie got the fight for the Good. (I know that Kant would not agree with me) In A Few Good Men the debate is one of to whom is the ultimate duty owed and  where does ‘the law’ fit into the equation? The soldiers facing court martial display their ultimate affiliation firmly?first and foremost their duty is to their marine corps; god and country are secondary to the bond between their comrades and this is the fulcrum of the film: are orders to be obeyed at all costs and where does the buck stop? Professor Alfonso Gomez-Lobo quotes â€Å"Neither can military ethics properly exist without the concept of ordering. By ordering, I do not mean telling subordinates what to do. I refer, instead, to moral structuring and ethical priorities.† In the movie â€Å"A Few Good Men†, a Marine lance corporal tells his lawyers that the â€Å"code† is based upon â€Å"unit, corps, God, country.† He has it, of course, all wrong. In fact, many illegal activities or stupid mistakes in the military services are the result of leaders’ failures to order wisely and well. The duty of a marine to follow the orders of a superior officer. The word duty here needs to be explained. It is the duty of the marine to fallow the orders of his superior officer if they are justified or legal. In Cuba however, disobeying an order implies to commit a crime. But since Code red is a practice discouraged by law, it is the duty of the marine to disobey such an order. An officer is always human and to equate him to be the ultimate legal authority is to make him invincible. It is this act of deception and blind faith that lets the powerful exploit. When an institution demands complete faith in its principles, the individuals within the institution are dependent on it, strive to maintain it and become incapable of independent thinking. At times like these the ethical question crops us: which is more important? guiding principles of life or humans, code of honour or PFC Santiago. As for the Platoons annoyance on Santiago’s betrayal for the unit and selfishness, I don’t think it is valid. It would have been a different case had there been some compassion for Santiago within his Unit. His friends beat him up as a part of following orders, to keep up their jobs. From this perspective, they too are selfish. The only difference is that Santiago is  towards the receiving end of brutalities, and it is convenient for the rest of the Platoon who were comparably stronger to talk about the loyalty within the unit. Interestingly, Lieutenant Kendrick too believe in the ‘proper authority of God or his commanding officer Colonel Nathan R Jessup’ Here we see that blind faith is associated with both God and the Colonel Moreover, the Colonel starts associating himself with God who protects and punishes others and expects the respect of all. He thinks that he is the personification of certain unquestionable principles. That the colonel lives by the rules and notions of the Marine Corps and doesn’t fully comprehend the world outside. Both Dawson and Kaffee are good at what they do. That?s all they have in common. The contrast between the disciplined Dawson and the flippant Kaffee can be traced to their system of beliefs and their environment. Dawson mentions that he joined the navy so that he could live by a code. He believes that he did his duty and did it well and was even ready to face its consequences, but not plead guilty. Here we see the romanticized version of the code of honor. He failed to realize that the real strength of character lies in his discretion to protect the weak and not train him to protect himself. He lives in the misconceptions where certain principles appear Dawson is like a person who wants to be religious and associates himself with religious practices {no matter what they are} which gives him a sense of satisfaction. Kaffee on the other hand has no delusions about the law. His only criterion is to solve his case as soon as possible with the best interest of his client at heart. He believes that a case is not won by the law but the lawyer. He seems to have lost his faith in all legal ethics due to the way  law is practiced around him and he seems to be a part of the system too. Or in the least he has least to live with it. Daniel Kaffee is a smart, flippant, good-looking young Navy lawyer. in his late 20’s, 15 months out of Harvard Law School, and a brilliant legal mind waiting for a courageous spirit to drive it. He is, at this point in his life, passionate about nothing †¦ except maybe softball. His father was a renowned jurist, and Dan feels the burden of his father’s reputation. Indeed, his casual, tongue-in-cheek attitude to the law is his way of avoiding comparison with his father. You can’t fail if you don’t even try. However, he lived in the shadows of his father having no misconceptions regarding different facets of law. He does not believe in a romanticized version of his profession. He did not believe his case to be a winner and first attempts to find an easy way out. Even though he sympathized with the state of his clients who were forced to carry out their orders, were blinded by the belief in false practices like ?Code Red?, he understood the politics associated with the case. His frustration is revealed when he emphasizes that ‘I think you will lose’ and ‘ it does not matter what I believe, it only matters what I can prove..’ Despite these flaws he proves to be an excellent lawyer. This is because unlike the marines. He has learnt to question authority. He has not been conditioned by blind principles. the lawyer defending the two marines in A Few Good Men has to consider whether he should go beyond the legal and ethical codes under which he is bound and accuse a witness on the stand of committing a crime for which the two marines are accused. He of course does and justice is done. In conclusion, it is evident that Dawson and Downey performed their duty as was expected of them. On ethical grounds, they would have been better off notifying the appropriate authorities of the nature of the order and the circumstances in which the order was to be executed. However, as fellow  marines under a commanding officer, they were compelled to follow orders without looking into the ethical or moral aspects of their actions. A marine?s discipline is taken very seriously by his commanding officers; however, this does not imply that discipline takes priority over the mental and physical health of a marine. Santiago?s heart condition was no secret. Despite this fact, he was given the ‘Code Red’ knowing fully well that he may not be able to take the pressure ? definitely, an unethical decision on the part of the authorities concerned.

Pharma Company-Restructuring Cost - 892 Words

Case 10-3 Restructuring Costs Pharma Co. (Pharma or â€Å"the Company†) is a U.S. subsidiary of a U.K. entity that prepares its financial statements in accordance with (1) U.S. GAAP for reporting to its U.S.-based lender and (2) IFRSs in reporting to its parent. Pharma is in the process of restructuring a business line. As part of the restructuring, the Company is considering the relocation of a manufacturing operation from its present location to a new facility in a different geographic area. The relocation plan would include terminating certain employees. IAS 37 includes guidance for accounting for restructuring costs in accordance with IFRSs. Paragraph 10 of IAS 37 defines restructuring as follows: [A] programme that is planned and†¦show more content†¦4. The cost to dismantle the existing manufacturing operation is estimated to be $1 million. In the jurisdiction in which Pharma operates its current facility, there is no legal obligation for dismantling plants when abandoned. Pharma has not historically dismantled its plants when abandoned but decided to make an exception. In a press Copyright 2009 Deloitte Development LLC All Rights Reserved. Case 10-3: Restructuring Costs Page 2 release, the Company has stated its intention to dismantle the existing operation. The costs to reassemble the operation in the new facility have not yet been finalized. Required: †¢ †¢ In reporting to its U.K. parent under IFRSs, how should Pharma account for the above restructuring program for the year ended December 31, 2011? In reporting to its U.S.-based lender in accordance with U.S. GAAP, how should Pharma account for the restructuring program for the year ended December 31, 2011? Copyright 2009 Deloitte Development LLC All Rights Reserved. Case 10-3: Restructuring Costs Page 3 APPENDIX A Press Release Pharma Co. 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How Gender Roles Have Played A Big Part Of The History Essay

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